Principles for Relationships from God's Word by Claudio Consuegra

Put kids to bed early

After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me. Jeremiah 31:26 (NKJV)

Getting kids to be is important for their health. A new study confirms what many moms also know: Putting kids to bed early means better mental health…for their mom. A simple sanity saver may be as simple as adjusting your children’s bedtime schedule. According to Jon Quach, lead author and research fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia,[i] “early to bed” means being asleep by 8:30 p.m. for early school age kids. For children this age, whose level of melatonin (the hormone that helps the brain chill out and fall asleep) tends to peak around 8 o’clock at night. According to Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, a Seattle pediatrician who writes the Seattle Mama Doc blog, “We know that sleep is a really relevant part of our mental health, our mood. We know in kids, it’s related to behavioral [issues] and the ability to self-control.”

It makes perfect sense that if kids go to bed early mom will also have to time to wind down, finish things up for the day, and feel like things are under control. Part of the difficulty with our children’s bedtime routine and bedtime is that sometimes they may be overscheduled. In addition, digital devices continue to creep into their life up to the time they should be sleeping. The blue light that comes from these gadgets affects the ability of a child (as well as adults) to wind down and get to sleep.

Swanson suggests the following four steps to get your kids asleep on time:

Make sure they get exercise during the day

Have screens out of their hands by 7 p.m.

Give them time to wind down after dinner

Give them a chance to spend family time with you before you tuck them into bed.

Your children need consistency and prioritizing their sleep; when you do that, they will sleep and rest better, and so will you.